FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2010, file photo, Pastor Rick Warren acknowledges audience members during the Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Service in Lake Forest, Calif. Saddleback Valley Community Church said in a statement Saturday, April 6, 2013, that Warren's 27-year-old son, Matthew Warren, has committed suicide after struggling with mental illness and deep depression. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) (The Associated Press)
To find happiness, Christians must stop worrying about inconsequential things and find relaxation in the grace of God, Pastor Rick Warren shared in a recent devotional.
Warren, who heads Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, writes in his "Daily Devotional" that Christians need to stop worrying about God's approval, and rather relax knowing that God loves all of his children unconditionally.
"You can't earn God's approval. You can't earn his love. You can't earn his recognition. God is love, and he loves you unconditionally. If you want to be a happy person, you need to relax in God's grace every day," Warren writes.
Warren goes on to suggest that a dangerous way to lose happiness is by constantly trying to prove that you are worthy of God's love. Such an attitude can result in judgment and feelings of guilt, subsequently removing the happiness from the special relationship a Christian shares with God.
"When you finally realize there's nothing you can do to make God love you more, it is one of the most liberating feelings in the world. And, it is a key to happiness. Every day, remind yourself of the grace of God, and relax in it," Warren writes.
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